Railway car construction



Nov. 9, 1937. H. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29, 1 934 Nov. 9, 1937. H. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sht 2 Filed March 29, 1934 Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES steam PATENT QFFIQE RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Application March 29,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to streamlining of railwayrolling stock and consists in novel construction as hereinafter described.

A present tendency in railroadconstruction is to decrease the air resistance of high speed trains by streamlining in order to reduce the power required to haul the trains and to attain economies in operation. Effective streamlining of railway vehicles necessitates substantial elimination of pockets and sharp protrusions along the outer surfaces and general conformance of the outer contour ofeach car and of the entire train with smooth, gently curving lines which produce minimum disturbance and eddies in the affected air streams.

Streamlining in railroad vehicles has been limited heretofore substantially to top and side surfaces of the vehicle bodies. A co-pending application Serial No. 7 03,806, filed- December 23, 1933, by the present inventor, illustrates novel structure for eliminating the usual pockets between adjacent vehicle bodies in a train and for streamlining the connection, without forfeiting flexibility thereof.

The object of the present invention is to improve theart of streamlining railway vehicles by streamlining the under portions of the same, particularly the body underframes and trucks which have brakes, water tanks, battery boxes, tool 30 boxes, and other apparatus and projections carried under the car which are irregular in con tour and result in substantial air resistance which must be overcome in moving the train.

A more specific object is to streamline the under surface of the car body underframe including the center bearing connections with the supporting trucks. 1

These objects and others hereafter appearing are attainedby the structures illustrated and described in the present application for Letters Patent.

Effective means for streamlining the body supporting trucks are illustrated and claimed in detail in a co-pending application, Serial No. 717,921, filed of even date herewith by the present inventor, reference to which application is hereby made.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a diagrammatic floor plan view of a pair of adjacent connected railroad cars indicating, in dotted lines, under construction including trucks, brake rigging, etc.

Figure 2 is a side view of the cars indicated in Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 5 are vertical transverse sections 1934, Serial No. 717,920

of the lower portions of the car taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a partial end elevation of one of the cars.

Figures 6 and 7 are vertical longitudinal sections through the lower portions of two adjacent cars and taken approximately on the corresponding section lines of Figure 4.

Figures 8 and 9 are vertical longitudinal sections through the underframing and one of the trucks and are taken substantially on the corre sponding section lines of Figure 10.

Figure 10 is a Vertical transverse section taken on the line Ill-l0 of Figure 1.

The railroad cars represented in Figures 1 and 2 are of streamline construction including curved roofs l-', sidewalls 2 with windows 3 preferably as nearly flush with the side wall as is practical, body underframing generally indicated at 4, and trucks 5. Vestibules are provided at the ends of the cars with the platform and side wall portions of each recessed for the trap doors 55, steps 6 and a door 1'. Relatively movable end structures 8- are mounted on the vestibules for eliminating the usual pockets between adjacent vehicles. These end structures are hinged to diagonal corners ofthe vestibules and have aprons; arranged to telescope within spaces 8a opposite the hinge connections and adjacent the car roofs and floors to-accommodate angular displacement ofthe cars. Thesteps ii are disposed 'at diagonal corners of adjacent cars adjacent the hinge connections for the movable end structures. The illustrated car body end construction is more fully described and claimed in the above mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 703,806.

Generally indicated in dotted lines beneath the floors 9 of the cars are the trucks 5, brake rigging including the usual cylinders l8, connecting rods 12 and horizontal levers l3, and various tanks and cylinders 14, i5 and it which may be used for air and water storage for brakes and air conditioning and for other purposes.

Each car. underframe includes deep center sills l1, draft sills l8 having the usual draft lugs and guide ribs l8a,itransoms l9 and Illa, to the latter of whichare secured the tanks l4, l5, and [6 by means of suitable brackets Ma, l5a, and l6a, bolsters with center bearings ii, side sills 25, and buffer beams 2| widened at the center to form buffer housings 22 supporting the usual buffer rigging 23 including yielding stems andheads. Draft rigging 24 indicated in Figure 7 is associated in the usual manner with the draft sills l8 beneath the buffer housings 22.

The car side walls 2 are of smoothly curving contour as shown in Figure 3, and extend downwardly beneath the car flooring 9 about to the level of the lower portions of center sills I1. Secured to the lower edges of side walls 2 and to the center sills is sheeting 21 which extends from side to side and from end to end of the car and forms a smooth streamlined bottom surface therefor. Between the sheeting 21 and the car flooring are pockets enclosing the various storage tanks and cylinders l4, l5, and I6, the brake rigging, and other under equipment. Doors 28 are provided in the car side sheeting adjacent various units of under equipment to permit access thereto. The bottom sheeting 21 is shaped at the ends of the car to clear the trucks 5, and a portion of the sheeting is cut away for the" steps 6.

Hinged to the heavy posts 29 at the diagonal corners of adjacent cars by means of lugs 29a are the movable end structures 8 having side and top aprons 30 and 3| which conform with the outer contour of the cars and close the space therebetween. At the lower portions of'these movable end structures are the relatively heavy transverse members 32 mounting at the center and along their upper edges the aprons 33 which are telescopingly received in the spaces between the outwardly projecting platform plates 34 and the buffer housings 22. as portions of the vestibule passageway flooring between the two cars.

Bottom member 32 of each movable end member 8 is centrally recessed, as shown in Figure 4, to accommodate the buffer and draft rigging 23 and 24 and. various train pipes 35. A- portion 32a of the bottom member is depressed and extends beneath the draft and buffer rigging to the level of the lower edges of draft sills l8. Secured to the lower edge of bottom members 32 and 32a and extending from side to side of the car is an apron-forming web 36 which overlaps the adjacent end of car bottom sheeting 21 and telescopes in the space 31 between the same and the vestibule platform thereabove (Figures 6 and 7 The aprons 36 on adjacent vehicles conform in contour with and form continuations of the bottom streamlined sheeting 21.

As indicated in Figures 8, 9 and 10, the center sills l1 and draft sills l8 are recesed upwardly adjacent the body bolster 20 to clear the center bearing structure 38 carried by the truck bolster 39. The bottom sheeting 21 is cut away, as at 4!], in approximately oval shape around the body center bearing 4! and a lip or hollow housing 42 extends around the edges of this cutaway portion. The truck shown is substantially entirely enclosed by streamlined sheeting 43 and includes a. lip or housing 44 cooperating with lip 42 on the body underframe to divert the air stream around the center bearing connection. The truck is further described and claimed in detail in the co-pending application Serial No. 717,921, filed of even date herewith by the present inventor.

The sheeting above the trucks will be recessed upwardly to clear the truck center plate and wheels. The general conformance of the sheeting with the contour of the top of the truck permits the truck and underframe to be positioned close together, thus lowering the center of gravity of the car. The bottom sheeting is recessed above the truck wheels 12 for accommodating the brackets 15 cooperating with the side bearings 14 on the truck bolster 39. Other recesses (not These aprons 33 serve shown) may be provided in the underframe sheeting 21 for brake connections l2 between the truck and operating mechanism within the underframe.

By means of the novel construction described above, the entire undersurface of the car body is streamlined so as to decrease air resistance. Adequate space is provided within the enclosing side and bottom sheeting for all car equipment including air conditioning apparatus which is particularly desirable in streamlined trains to obviate the necessity of opening windows and thus adversely affecting the streamlining. The under portions of railway vehicles have heretofore been extremely irregular in contour and the elimination of these irregularities, accordingly, substantially contributes to reducing air resistance and consequently reducing the power required to haul the cars resulting in economy of operation of trains. The under streamlining also substantially reduces noises set up when irregular surfaces move rapidly through the atmosphere and acts as protection against dirt and other foreign particles.

Various details of the invention as described and illustrated are not essential and exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, underframe end structure including transversely spaced force-transmitting members extending longitudinally of the car and having substantial space therebetween for accommodating car equipment, streamline casing extending from Side to side of the car beneath said members, and a relatively movable vehicleccnnecting web in immediate lapping relation with said casing, said casing and web being depressed beneath said space.

2. In a railway vehicle, underconstruction including body underframing parts and truck parts, center bearing connections between said parts, members enclosing the adjacent portions of said parts, and hollow housings on said parts surrounding said connections, said members and housings cooperating to form streamline structure for reducing air resistance to movement of the vehicle.

3. A railway vehicle body underframe structure having a streamlined undersurface extending substantially from side to side and from end to end thereof, center plate structure depending beneath said surface, and a streamlined housing surrounding said center plate structure.

4. In a railway vehicle, body and truck parts having center bearings, and members on said body and truck parts forming opposing streamlined surfaces, portions of said members surrounding said center bearings and overlapping each other vertically and having a contour elongated lengthwise of the vehicle.

5. In a railway vehicle body, underframing, structure extending beneath said underframing substantially from side to side and from end to end thereof and forming a streamlined undersurface for said underframing, and side bearing structure depending from said underframing through said structure for engaging a cooperating truck side bearing member.

6. In a railway vehicle body, un-derframing, structure extending beneath said underframing substantially from side to side and from end to end thereof and forming a streamlined undersurface for said underframing, there being restricted apertures in said structure, and center bearing and side bearing members on said underframing projecting through said apertures for engaging cooperating center and side bearing members on the supporting truck.

7. In a railway vehicle, underframing having a streamlined undersurface with portions for immediate association with a supporting truck and exposed to substantial air currents during travel, said portions being at varying heights whereby said undersurface may extend over and conform in general with the upper part of the truck.

8. In a railway vehicle body, underframing including a center sill and streamline structure extending therebeneath, and a supporting truck including wheels and a center bearing part projecting above other parts of the same, said underframing and said streamline structure having upwardly recessed portions to clear said wheels and said center bearing parts, and said structure depending between said portions.

9. In combination, two railway vehicle bodies coupled together and each having an underframe relatively deep at the middle portions and relatively shallow at the end portions, the undersurface of each of said underframes being streamlined from end to end of said bodies, and means connecting sai dun-derframes and continuing the bottom streamlining therebetween.

HARRY M. PFLAGER. 

